Gaming & Culture —

Seven Samurai in space: Ars reviews Mass Effect 2

Mass Effect 2 takes Bioware's sci-fi trilogy in a new direction by focusing on …

Mass Effect made waves in the world of American-style RPGs, but the game had some major flaws that dulled the experience. On the 360, the vehicle sections where you drove your land-based transport were often frustrating due to unwieldy controls. You spent way too much time in elevators as the game loaded the next section. Dealing with your inventory could be a nightmare. The PC version of the game addressed many of these issues, but Bioware certainly knew where it could go to make the game better for the much-anticipated sequel.

Our first playing session with Mass Effect 2 lasted four hours. The next? Seven hours. After finishing the first game literally 24 hours before playing the sequel, the differences between the two releases could not have been clearer. Many of the RPG elements of the first game have been removed. The inventory issue has been fixed the simplest way; now, there is no inventory.

The game is even arranged in discrete missions, complete with screens that describe your performance before you move on to the next session. You'll be speaking much more than in most shooters, but you'll be shooting much more than in most role-playing titles. This is an action game, through and through.

The graphics are likewise improved, with more details and a steadier frame rate; and the texture pop-in that was such a problem in the first game has been almost totally removed. With such an emphasis on increasing the pace of the game, that's a good thing. This experience put into the shell of the first title would have been nearly unbearable, and the technical upgrades are obvious and appreciated.

The decisions made with the game's design were brave, and serve the story and thrust of this game much more than the stats-heavy presentation of the first title. Those going into Mass Effect 2 expecting more of the same are going to be in for some violent whiplash, however. You'll have to let go of what you wanted out of a Mass Effect game, and begin to deal with what you've been given.

The good news is that once you move past your expectations, you're going to realize you're playing something very special.

Getting your game put together

Inside your case you'll find a code to unlock the Cerberus Network, the pipeline for DLC and new equipment inside the game. If you buy the game used or don't have a code, the network will cost you a stunning 1,200 Microsoft points, or $15.

Still, right off the bat you can get some nice content. The Blood Dragon Armor and two missions are there for free if you bought the game new. For reviewers who had the game before launch, only one mission is available for download. It's a neat little feature, and when you activate the Cerberus Network a monitor pops up in the main menu and starts feeding you news and information.

When you start a new game, it gives you the option of beginning with a male or female character, or using the Mass Effect 1 import utility. The utility brings up a logo, scans your hard drive for "Valid Mission Complete Files" and then allows you to load your character. The utility saw my saved game, chewed on the file for a few moments, and then brought my character over. Painless and easy.

Once your character has been brought over, the game gives you details about your saved game: your name, rank, specialization, and what decisions you made during some of the turning points of the first game. Give it a quick read, and then begin the game with your hero all ready to go.

The face that the game begins by talking about your ultimate decisions and actions from the last game is a nice touch. Those of you playing through the first game again (or if you're like me and have just beaten it for the first time) are in for a treat; the jump into the second game is seamless. If you don't have a saved game, don't worry, the game will ask you questions about the first title and allow you to tell it what decisions you made. The bonuses you gain from importing a character won't be given to you, however.

A mile wide, but how deep?

OK, let's get started. Talking about the game will be difficult, since everything from the first scene on can be considered a spoiler. For that reason, we're going to try to avoid discussing the story at all.

We can say that game gives you a reason to basically re-roll your character in-game if you want. If you were a soldier, you can now explore biotics. If you were a social creature, you can now go all out with the combat. This is all explained in-universe, and it actually makes sense.

There are fewer things for you to worry about when leveling, as well. You won't have to worry about healing, as you now have shields that recharge, and when your shields are gone you see red veins appear along the sides of the screen showing how close to death you are. Find cover, and you heal. Yes, Mass Effect went Halo.

You have a few powers to level up, and some of those powers will be locked among your crew until you gain their trust through your in-game actions and conversations. You will usually level up between missions, since earning experience from within the missions is rare.

You'll also now be contending with ammunition, although "thermal clips" are smart and will work on everything except heavy weapons. Heavy weapon ammo must be purchased or found by tracking down power cells. Using your Unity skill will bring fallen teammates back into the fight, but now that uses a Medi-gel. You don't have to worry about the heat of your weapons, just the amount of ammo you're packing, so you'll now have to remember to continually grab ammo from the battlefield.

You are able to use shotguns, pistols, assault rifles, submachine guns... all in equal measure. Each class is given a selection of weapons, and you can be equally proficient with each one. You will find better weapons every now and again, and you can choose your loadout by interacting with weapons lockers. Again, you don't have an inventory. Healing is automatic, as in many current action games. You only carry the weapons you're using. Armor, likewise, isn't stat-based, although as you explore the galaxy you can buy and find new sections to your existing armor that will give you certain buffs. A mask may give you more health, or a holster may allow you to carry slightly more ammunition, for instance.